(SE) when the nighttime comes, say yes

SUNJATA

i'm drowning in all these voices in the sea
and meeting all my vices in the ring

She doesn’t shy away from his hand as it brushes her hair, tucks it behind her ear, and his darkened steel gaze slips back to her when she begins to speak, withdrawing his hand to rest along the scar. But she doesn’t argue with him, keeps the conversation the same, some form of understanding lingering within the thoughts he’s expressed, the shield being put up brick by brick in an effort to repair it when it inevitably comes back. But it doesn’t, and it’s such a surprise for him that he fumbles, letting her continue her thoughts as he tries to figure out what to say.

She mentions Loren, and there’s a tilt to his head at what she means, a small nod granted and given when it hits through the daze and the shadows he’s encompassed as mischief alights in her eyes.  A promise and a challenge he can see in it, and it’s enough to grant a quiet laugh to leave her. “I think I’d like that.” He comments quietly, rougher, hoarser as he shakes his head and exhales. A bit of the mischief flickering back into the hollow gleam to his eyes, the hint of a mask returning, even if not fully.

“Do you plan on staying at the VlamVloed?” He asks, uncertain if she’d wish to after what had just happened, his accent far thicker on the words from home a reflection of the blood that runs through his veins. He wouldn’t blame her if she said no, but a part of him wants her company around, to make the days when he’s working at the bar perhaps a bit less lonely, a bit more thoughtful, a bit more than the darkness he encompasses himself with time and time again.

so step inside, i ain't afraid to bleed
there ain't a casket strong enough for me